Review: Fernie Brewing's Snowblind Belgian IPA

I don't know what to think about Belgian IPAs, I love Belgian beers and I love IPAs, but the combination of the two always seems unnatural. But what would I know? I'm the same guy who reviews beers like Bud Light Platinum and Carling Black Label Extra Old Stock for the hell of it!

Appearance: Here we have Fernie's Snowblind Belgian IPA. New to the LC (and basically already gone) for $6.11/650mL. Pours a murky reddish brown with a cherrywood hue to it. Unfiltered yet somewhat bright. Decent amount of beige head sticking to the glass.

Aroma: First off, we have notes of grapefruit, lemon, Belgian yeast. Followed up with subtle notes of various hops including Cascade to give it a bit of a pine & alfalfa bite to it. Sweet but not as sweet as other Belgian IPAs I've had.

Taste: This one is quite moderate on the hops, giving it a bitter bite right from the start. Not as sweet as the aroma would lead me to believe. Yet, it's still a bit sweet with notes of grapefruit, cloves and just a hint of sugary sweetness. Fairly yeasty like a lot of Belgian style ales.

Overall Thoughts: More of a West Coast take on Belgian IPAs than most I've seen so far - though nowhere near as bitter as most West Coasts. Nice citrus zest that's really welcoming on a warm Manitoba spring afternoon! Fairly solid and not over the top. To top it off, it's 7.9% ABV!